The war in the Middle East is still ramping up as Israel increases its military assault on the Gaza Strip. The United Nations and medical staff expressed fears over airstrikes hitting closer to hospitals, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have sought shelter alongside thousands of wounded.

The largest convoy of humanitarian aid to arrive in Gaza still fell far short of needs, relief workers said as Israel continues its military incursion deeper into the northern part of the Gaza Strip on Monday.

According to the Associated Press News, Israel’s military said late Monday that a female soldier captured during Hamas’ wide-ranging October 7th attack inside Israel was released during its ground operation. This is the first such rescue since the weekslong war began.

The death toll continues to rise, especially in Palestine. The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has reached 8,306, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, most of them civilians slain in the initial Hamas terrorist rampage that started the fighting on October 7th. In addition, 240 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza by the militant group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there is no chance for a ceasefire right now. He has flat out rejected calls for a cease-fire to facilitate the release of captives or end the war, which he has said will be long and difficult. “Calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas,” he told a news conference. “That will not happen.”

Netanyahu further said that the ground invasion “creates the possibility” of getting the hostages out of Gaza, adding that Hamas will “only do it under pressure.”

The United States is providing weapons shipments on an almost daily basis to Israel, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters. Despite the rising number of civilian casualties, especially in Palestine, “we are not putting any limits on how Israel uses weapons,” Singh said. “That is really up to the Israeli Defense Force.”

Israel is “Expanding” Its Ground Invasion of Gaza

The rulers seem intent on keeping this war going and killing as many human beings as possible.